By Alise Maripuu. Bay City News.
Listen to this note:
Construction of affordable housing for the community's older farmworkers will move forward, the Half Moon Bay City Council decided Wednesday, rejecting efforts to delay the project.
Council members heard arguments from applicants, appellants and the public for nearly three hours before deliberating and ultimately voting unanimously to support the project.
The January 2023 shooting in Half Moon Bay, where a farm worker allegedly shot and killed seven co-workers at Mountain Mushroom Farm, revealed the poor living conditions in the area. The tragedy prompted the city to initiate plans to develop affordable housing for its farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave. in the city's center.
“Immediately after the horrendous shooting, light flooded the city of Half Moon Bay and brought to light the living conditions of farmworkers,” said Lilli Rey, board president of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar.
The nonprofit organization provides resources and assistance to families and individuals in need in California's coastal communities. They will provide services directly to low-income housing residents at 555 Kelly Ave. at a Farmworker Resource Center.
Multiple appeals were filed raising concerns about the location, size of the building and the project's lack of a comprehensive parking plan. Several members of the public also reiterated the same uncertainties during public comments.
“I have a problem with this project and this is how it has changed since they originally approved it. It’s changed from four stories to five stories,” said David Gorn, a member of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission. “It has changed from studio apartments to larger apartments. When it is changed, almost twice as many people are added than were originally approved.”
The project began as a four-story building with 40 studio apartment units. The developers then changed the units to a mix of 26 one-bedrooms, eight two-bedrooms and six studios, while adding another floor.
Mercy Housing is leading the development of 555 Kelly Ave. It is an organization that creates and manages low-income housing nationwide.
Mercy compromised on community concerns regarding building height by reducing the floor-to-ceiling height at each level so that the resulting building height increase would be only five feet above four stories, said Ramie Dare, director of real estate for Mercy Housing California.
Opponents of the project said emotions were getting in the way and that the city should use logic to evaluate its decision and wait to ensure a more carefully planned project.
But there has also been pressure from above since California Governor Gavin Newsom harshly criticized Half Moon Bay for the delay in a statement issued in May.
“This delay is egregious and endangers the well-being of Californians. “The state’s Housing Accountability Unit is reviewing the city’s actions and will take all necessary steps to hold Half Moon Bay accountable if the project does not move forward as required by state law,” Newsom said at the time.
Council members had mixed opinions on the project during deliberations. Robert Brownstone and Harvey Rarback supported the plan. Rarback had a problem with limited parking spaces, but suggested negotiating with the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Catholic Church next to the project site, which has plenty of parking spaces.
"If people are waiting for a comprehensive downtown parking solution, they're going to be waiting for a while and I don't think this project can wait for a while," Rarback noted.
Councilor Deborah Penrose said she had attended the meeting hoping to propose a motion to reject the project and request that the original plan of four stories and 40 studio units be returned. But hours of public comment and listening to the community's urgent needs for these homes led Penrose to move forward with the new plan.
“I have to act with my heart and not with my head,” Penrose said. “It can end up hurting a lot of people because of traffic conditions and parking conditions and the rest of the community needs. In that case, I will have made a mistake, but I am willing to do it because it is what my heart tells me.”
Ultimately, all council members sided with the project's supporters, demonstrating their priority of getting older farmworkers into improved housing rather than waiting longer to create a perfect plan.
“We cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” Rarback said.
You may be interested in: $40 million allocated for affordable housing in San Mateo County
